Party leadership in Punjab conspired against me: Khaira

BATHINDA : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Saturday accused the state party leadership of hatching conspiracies against him, two days after he was removed unceremoniously from the post of the leader of opposition (LOP) in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

Addressing a public meeting in the Maur assembly segment to prepare for the volunteers’ convention on August 2 in the wake of his removal, Khaira said, “As LOP, I worked satisfactorily, but there was no cooperation from the state party unit. Rather, conspiracies were hatched against me. They would ensure that not many people gather wherever I visited.”

He, however, didn’t name anyone. He was accompanied by AAP legislators Jagdev Singh Kamalu (Maur), Nazar Singh Manshahiya (Mansa) and Pirmal Singh (Bhadaur Khaira).

He said the Congress also hatched conspiracies to get him removed as LOP. “But some leaders of my own party also joined them when the issues of a false drug case or 2020 referendum were raked against me. Thousands of party workers have expressed that the decision to remove me as LOP is wrong but the leadership is not listening.”

“I am not hurt for being removed from the post. But the procedure adopted to do so was undemocratic as the MLAS were not consulted before taking the decision,” he said.

He said the state as well as central party leadership will be invited for the volunteers’ convention in which agenda to strengthen the party will be discussed. What will be the convention’s validity if the party leadership didn’t take part in it, he said it’s not leaders but people who are superior in a democracy.